When he got the word on Tuesday night, Vision Vancouver Councillor Kerry Jang rushed down to the 400-block of Powell Street, stood out on the street in the freezing cold and surveyed the damage. The cops were there. The fire trucks were there.

The Ming Sun building had flooded.

Sprinkler pipes had burst due to the cold — which was odd, since the building’s owner, the Ming Sun Benevolent Society, had maintained the water had been turned off and the sprinkler system drained. Yet, somehow, those pipes held water.

The Society’s explanation?

It characterized the flood as “suspicious” — or, as I saw it, an invitation for the conspiracy-minded to fill in the blanks. Later, it would suggest it was possibly the work of vandals, though turning on a water supply isn’t what first comes to mind as normal vandal behaviour. But then there is little that is normal about the ongoing saga of the Ming Sun building.

If you haven’t heard, it has been the object of a nasty fight between the Society and the city. It is an innocuous looking place, but it was built in 1890, which in a city as young as Vancouver, is the kind of pedigree heritage enthusiasts are passionate about preserving.

Yet the Ming Sun could be headed for demolition, and it was imperilled long before Tuesday night’s flood.

In July, part of a building adjacent to the Ming Sun collapsed. The damaged building was demolished by the city — without first having an engineering study done on it — and the city evacuated the tenants of Ming Sun. These included seniors in their 80s and members of the artist collective Instant Coffee. None were allowed to return. Eventually, a demolition order was issued.

The city maintained the building was unsafe and the tenants imperilled. Reporter John Mackie, covering the story for The Sun, noted in a Dec. 6 story:

“The city says it received an engineering report on Nov. 5 that stated ‘the west brick facade wall could collapse at any time without warning onto the neighbouring building.’ On Nov. 15, the city issued an order for demolition.

“The lots on either side of the Ming Sun Society building are owned by Tom Chow of Double Happiness Foods, who commissioned the engineering report that said the brick facade could fall down. For several years, Chow has made offers to buy 441 Powell off the society, so that he could expand his business.”

Is that the sound of a plot thickening? The city takes its lead from an engineering report commissioned by a neighbour with an expressed interest in the Ming Sun?

Perhaps, but I have no idea. The truth, at the moment, remains in the realm of debate. For those who would prefer to believe that the city is chasing 80-year-old senior citizens and starving artists out into the cold, it would be another example of Vision Vancouver’s high-handedness — of bike paths being bulldozed through a Kits Point park, of new high rises being sprung on the unsuspecting citizens of Grandview-Woodland and now this. Shame.

But wait, says Jang.

There’s another side to this story, one the Ming Sun Benevolent Society isn’t telling people.

Since July, Jang said, the city had worked with the Society to bring the building up to a suitable level of repair. Demolition was not on the city’s mind, he said. Suggestions for upgrades were made.

“And then,” Jang said of the Society, “they didn’t do anything for four months. From the day we had to go in and declare the building unsafe after the inspection, they didn’t do a darn thing. In fact, it got to the point where there was a real split in their leadership. Some of the guys (in the Society) wanted to save the building, some of them wanted to tear it down. They actually approached the city to try to buy the land and build social housing, and they wanted us to buy the land, build social housing and lease back a portion of the bottom for their clubhouse ... so we’ve actually been working quite actively with them on how to restore this building. But all the while they didn’t do anything so the place became, you know, more and more and more in disrepair to what happened (Tuesday) night (when) the pipes froze.

“They didn’t do anything we asked for, and three or four days ago they held a press conference saying it was now the city’s fault ... So that’s why it’s been a real conundrum for us. You know, where do you go with this? It’s been really frustrating.”

David Wong, spokesman for the Ming Sun Benevolent Society, admitted to me that, yes, the Society had approached the city about the city buying the property, demolishing it, putting up social housing and leasing part of the new building back to the Society — which, as far as I can tell, was something Wong had failed to mention in earlier comments. If that is so, and the Society was considering demolition, then the moral high ground it has staked out is a little shakier than it was earlier this month.

Wong, in his defence, says the city buying the property was only one option the Society had considered, and that it had been forced to do so because of what he claims was the city’s uncompromising and arbitrary handling of the affair. The Society was broke, Wong said, and “had been put in a corner.” It considered demolition out of desperation.

So now what, Wong was asked.

“Well, I think right now, after what happened (Tuesday), I don’t think there’s any chance of saving (the building) anymore.”

In other words, demolition. And then, Wong said, the Society will probably sell the land and with the money hire a legal team to go after the city.

Something may be headed for demolition here. I’m not sure it’s a building.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Pete McMartin: More than a building may be demolished if Vancouver's Ming Sun disappears

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.